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Seeking to push through the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers, attorneys for Shelly Sterling filed papers in a downtown court Wednesday, asking a judge to sign off on Sterling’s right to sell the franchise.

Sterling’s attorney Pierce O’Donnell filed a petition early Wednesday asking a judge to confirm that his client is the sole trustee of the Sterling Trust. O’Donnell argues Shelly’s husband Donald Sterling is “mentally incapacitated” and doesn’t have the authority to fight the sale.

Appearing in court to oppose the petition was Donald Sterling’s attorney Bobby Samini, who called assertions his client is mentally incapacitated “ridiculous.”

Clippers owner Donald Sterling released a statement through attorney Bobby Samini on Tuesday explaining why he is continuing to fight the sale of his team and pursuing his $1 billion lawsuit against the NBA.

The statement:

WHY I AM FIGHTING THE NBA? THE NBA WANTS TO TAKE AWAY OUR PRIVACY RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH

I was brought up in America and educated to believe that every citizen has a right to privacy and right to freedom of speech. As a lawyer and citizen, I am shocked (but not surprised) that the NBA wants to take away those fundamental rights.

I feel that every American has to protect those rights and that the NBA should not be allowed to take away those rights. I have apologized for my mistakes. My apology is sincere. I want every American to know that I will not give up fighting for those rights.

Monday saw yet another discrimination lawsuit filed against Donald Sterling, one that alleges racist and sexist taunts on the part of the Clippers owner.

Represented by Gloria Allred, a woman named Maiko Maya King alleges that after she agreed to work as Sterling’s personal assistant in 2013, “contrary to his agreement to pay her $10,000 a month, Sterling dangled money only if she would have sex with him.”

Bobby Samini, an attorney for Sterling, responded to the allegations Tuesday morning.

“The claim by Ms. King is baseless and ridiculous,” Samini wrote in an email. “She was never employed by Donald Sterling. Her claim was obviously (prompted) by opportunistic motives.”

The 80-year-old is likely on his way out as an NBA franchise owner, though he filed a lawsuit seeking $1 billion in damages against the league on Friday. The NBA still needs to vote approve to approve Steve Ballmer as the Clippers’ new owner after the former Microsoft CEO agreed to buy the team for $2 billion last week.

The NBA scoffed at Clippers embattled owner Donald Sterling planning to sue them for $1 billion in damages.

“Mr. Sterling’s lawsuit is predictable, but entirely baseless,” NBA Executive Vice President and General Counsel Rick Buchanan said in a statement to this newspaper. “Among other infirmities, there was no “forced sale” of his team by the NBA – which means his antitrust and conversion claims are completely invalid. Since it was his wife Shelly Sterling, and not the NBA, that has entered into an agreement to sell the Clippers, Mr. Sterling is complaining about a set of facts that doesn’t even exist.”Continue reading “NBA calls Donald Sterling’s lawsuit “entirely baseless”” »

The NBA announced Friday that it has resolved a dispute over ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers, and withdrawn the pending charge to terminate Sterlings’ ownership.

The league reached the agreement with Donald Sterling’s wife Shelly, and the Sterling Family Trust which owns the franchise. Shelly as the sole trustee in selling the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Thursday for $2 billion, which still needs to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors.

A previously scheduled June 3 meeting to terminate Donald Sterling’s ownership has been cancelled.

Donald Sterling’s attorney Maxwell Blecher, said earlier Friday afternoon that his client intends to sue the NBA for $1 billion in damages. Blecher has not yet responded for further comment since the NBA’s latest announcement.

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